Martell Blue Swift Review

Martell was the first French cognac house to ship its product to America, way back in 1783. Now, 233 years later, they’re doing us another solid by finishing their 100% VSOP French cognac in American bourbon barrels to make a little something called Martell Blue Swift.

The spirit itself is a deep, rich amber color. The powerful nose provides notes of apricot, cherry and plum, plus an undercurrent of vanilla. It’s medium-bodied on the palate, and its first flavors–oak and vanilla–come courtesy of the bourbon casks.

The oak and vanilla segue into a light spiciness at the center of the palate, which quickly fades and rolls over to powerful stone fruit flavors, cherry in particular. The sweet, heavy and tart cherry note continues almost indefinitely, and recalls sucking down a bourbon-soaked cherry at the bottom of a manhattan glass.

Blue Swift’s most remarkable quality is the way it combines two seemingly different experiences in the same glass. It starts as a light, subtly spicy bourbon and ends with the thick, rich taste of cognac. In a way, it serves as its own appetizer and entree. And heck, it might as well be dessert, too.